Facing the Threat
Jeron returned to Earth with a sensation akin to passing through the surface of water.
He stood atop the wide, flat rock at the mountain summit.
Only after taking a deep breath did he realize that this world was overflowing with mana.
Blue waves of energy rippled through the air.
The mana swaying in the wind felt at least ten times denser than that of the Karen Continent.
As he inhaled and drew the mana in, it quickly seeped through his second circulatory system.
Jeron checked the remaining time on his Golden Key.
Instinctively, he could tell that his stay time had increased to four hours, and the volume of goods he could transport back had also slightly risen.
For Jeron, this was a monumental discovery.
"Whew."
He took another deep, slow breath.
Pure, unpolluted phytoncides mixed with mana flooded his lungs, sending a surge of vitality through his body.
If just standing here could bring such a change to his body, how much more would his life alter once he fully completed his mana hall?
The mere thought of it brought a smile to his face.
Jeron basked in the euphoria for a moment before suddenly remembering that this was Earth—a place where safety was never guaranteed.
In terms of sheer variety of threats, the Karen Continent was worse, but here, his biggest problem was that he was entirely alone.
He immediately lowered his stance and raised his scope.
He recalled his terrifying experience during his last visit to Earth.
The bone-chilling howl of the mutant that had shaken his entire soul.
Though that encounter had triggered his mana awakening, he had to keep in mind that those monsters could tear him to shreds at any moment.
Jeron adjusted his scope, searching for the apartment rooftop where he had spotted the mutant before.
His gaze swept along the brutally ruined main road.
The familiar, blood-splattered building entered his field of vision.
Broken, torn, and utterly devastated.
Long streaks of dried blood ran down the apartment walls, leading his eyes up to the rooftop.
"..."
Only the desolate wind blew across the empty roof.
A common rooftop ventilator spun violently. Shreds of clothing caught in the debris fluttered in the wind, but there was no sign of the mutant.
Jeron had to locate the mutant before he could take action.
The apartment was incredibly close to the middle school. Whether he was going to farm the stationery store or the riot police bus, he needed to secure a minimum level of safety first.
If possible, I'll snipe it from here.
Only then could he roam the streets with peace of mind.
"Where are you?"
Jeron scanned the area, tracking any signs of the mutant through his scope.
Desolate, eerie scenes flashed past.
The chaotic images shifted like a revolving lantern. Jeron focused all his senses, trying to detect any trace of life.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Jeron almost gasped aloud.
On the road leading to a supermarket near the apartment complex, he spotted a man moving with extreme caution.
The man carried a backpack that seemed far too large for his frame. He looked filthy, disheveled, and pitifully emaciated.
Fortunately, he held a handgun in his right hand.
The man moved without hesitation.
As expected, there were survivors left on Earth, and this man was playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek with the mutants.
A literal game of life and death.
The way he skillfully darted from wall to wall suggested he had fully adapted to this ruined world.
Jeron was silently rooting for the man when his heart suddenly dropped.
Directly above the path the man was taking, a mutant was leaping from building to building, stealthily tracking him.
The man was completely unaware.
The monster moved with the quiet, calculated grace of a predator closing in on its prey.
Jeron hurriedly loaded his sniper rifle and tracked the pair.
The barrel swayed rapidly.
The wind was dying down, but the distance was still considerable.
Unless one was a trained sniper, hitting a moving target at this range was incredibly difficult. Furthermore, the mutant was no ordinary target; it was a monster that moved several times faster than a human.
Despite the freezing winter weather, cold sweat drenched Jeron's back.
Just as the man reached the entrance of the supermarket, the mutant leaping between the buildings pounced straight down on him.
"Damn it!"
Jeron cursed under his breath.
By the time he tried to react, it was already too late.
The man didn't even get a chance to fire his handgun before his head was torn clean off.
Blood sprayed like a fountain, and the mutant let out a horrific shriek as it began tearing the body apart.
What followed was a gruesome feast.
As if it had been starving for a long time, the mutant crunched through the man's bones, devouring him whole.
Jeron could almost hear the sickening crunching sounds echoing all the way up the mountain.
It was a tragic end.
The man had undoubtedly fought tooth and nail to survive in this godforsaken world, but it hadn't been enough.
He had likely holed up in some building until his food ran out, forcing him to make a move.
He had played the game of hide-and-seek with the mutant, and he had lost.
Jeron lay prone and mounted his sniper rifle.
He pressed the stock firmly against his shoulder and adjusted the magnification of his scope.
He aligned the crosshairs perfectly with the monster's head.
I have to deal with it eventually.
The apartment was closer to the middle school than he had thought.
Based on his observations, this entire area was the mutant's territory. He had to eliminate it now if he wanted to farm the area. It was no longer a choice, but a necessity.
Jeron aimed precisely at the center of the creature's skull.
The mutant was entirely focused on devouring its prey. Jeron knew he would never get a perfect opportunity like this again.
He held his breath and concentrated all his focus.
It had been a long time since he had fired a rifle, but he didn't feel like he would miss. The mana flowing through him cleared his mind, elevating his concentration to its absolute limit.
The wind had died down completely. There was no need to calculate complex ballistics.
This was his one and only shot.
Bang!
Splat!
The mutant's body staggered as black blood erupted from its head.
Did I get it?
The bullet had struck the mutant's head dead center.
Just as Jeron felt certain the creature was dead...
The monster leaped to its feet and let out a deafening screech.
"Kieeeeeek!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Jeron gasped in shock.
What kind of living creature could still move after having its head blasted by an anti-materiel sniper rifle?
Cold sweat poured down his face, and his hands trembled, but he managed to peer through the scope to check the mutant's condition.
The shot had blown away a large portion of its skull, but it hadn't destroyed the brain stem.
To be precise, the top of its head had been sheared off.
The blackened, exposed brain was fully visible.
It was a truly grotesque sight.
Enraged, the mutant shrieked maniacally. Its eyes glowed a deeper crimson, and a strange blue aura began to emanate from its body.
Jeron recalled what that blue aura meant from the records left behind by the survivors.
"The moment those bastards start glowing blue, they get a sudden burst of speed, like they've been injected with some kind of drug."
It was a physical buff. The mutant's muscles visibly swelled.
With a furious roar, the monster glared directly toward the rocky summit where Jeron was positioned.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Though the beast couldn't speak, its murderous intent was crystal clear.
Whoosh!
The mutant charged toward the mountain at terrifying speed.
Jeron immediately abandoned his sniper rifle and ran down the opposite side of the slope.
Fleeing through the portal was a last resort.
Given the relentless nature of these mutants, it would likely linger around the mountain seeking revenge.
Judging by what he had just witnessed, the creature possessed a decent level of intelligence.
If it decided to hide and ambush him the moment he returned to Earth?
Jeron would have no way out.
The sound of dry leaves and twigs snapping beneath his boots echoed loudly.
He moved with incredible speed.
Jeron's physical capabilities were incomparable to his past self.
His lungs burned, but he did not stop.
He dashed down the mountain in an instant, heading straight toward the residential area near the apartment complex.
Jeron quickly scanned his surroundings.
"Haa... Haa..."
His breath was finally catching up to him.
Instinctively, he looked for a tall building.
A commercial building!
He spotted several commercial buildings in the center of the district.
This neighborhood was large enough to have its own small apartment complex, after all.
Jeron dashed through the shattered glass doors of a building entrance.
He had no time to process the gruesome sights around him.
He bounded up the stairs three at a time.
Reaching the rooftop of the commercial building in seconds, Jeron quickly raised his scope to scan the area.
Where did it go?
The monster was nowhere to be seen.
There had been a significant distance between Jeron and the mutant.
However, he doubted that a creature burning with a desire for vengeance—especially with its skull blown open—would give up so easily.
"Kieeeek!"
Suddenly, a piercing shriek erupted from nearby.
The mutant, its face contorted in demonic rage and its exposed brain pulsing, was charging straight toward him.
Jeron's eyes locked with the monster's.
Weeping tears of black blood, its maw stretched open over thirty centimeters, the beast was far more terrifying than any monster Jeron had faced on the Karen Continent.
In a single bound, the mutant leaped over five meters.
It kicked off a building sign, launching itself toward the rooftop.
At this rate, he wouldn't make it.
With his life on the line, Jeron immediately opened the portal and threw himself through.
The mutant slammed into the space Jeron had occupied just seconds prior.
Thud!
The mutant lunged at Jeron, but its body flailed against the invisible barrier separating the dimensions.
"Haa... Haa..."
Only then did Jeron let out the breath he had been holding.
His limbs trembled, and his heart hammered against his ribs.
However, recalling the properties of the portal, he slowly forced himself to calm down.
Based on his research and observations, no living creature could cross the portal on its own.
This was an absolute rule.
The mutant flailed against the barrier as if trapped underwater, letting out silent, furious shrieks.
Though the sound didn't carry over, Jeron could feel the raw, burning hatred in the way the creature thrashed its limbs.
Shring.
Jeron drew his longsword.
The mutant was still enveloped in the blue light, and the mana radiating from it was far denser than anything he had seen in the survivors' records and video clips.
It was proof that the mutants were evolving as time passed.
Its exposed brain was actively absorbing the surrounding mana.
A dense concentration of blue energy swirled within the black brain tissue.
Jeron realized that was its weak point.
As the mutant pressed its face against the barrier, flailing wildly, Jeron thrust his sword straight into its brain stem.
[Kieeeek!]
A silent death rattle.
Though the sound didn't echo in this space, Jeron felt the scream in his mind.
The mutant's eyes rolled back, and its body went limp.
The moment Jeron's sword pierced the brain stem, the Golden Key began to violently absorb the blue mana flowing from the creature.
"Whoa."
Jeron collapsed to the floor.
Part of it was the lingering shock of the encounter, but it was also because the Golden Key's hidden function was far beyond his expectations.
"It can absorb a mutant's mana... This is a massive discovery."